Donald Trump is still three years away from his re-election bid in 2020, but that hasn't stopped the president from speaking about his future. During an interview with the New York Times, Trump predicted his re-election and claims the mainstream media will lead him to victory, while also taking a shot the investigation into Russian interference.

Trump on 2020

Back in the summer of 2015, Donald Trump made his way to the floor of Trump Tower in New York City with his family by his side. In the process, the former host of "The Apprentice" caused a media frenzy when he announced he was going to be running for the president.

At first, the consensus was that Trump's candidacy was a joke, with some suggesting that his campaign was nothing more than a publicity stunt to gain higher ratings for his reality show. As time moved on, Trump gained in the polls and eventually rode that momentum to a GOP primary victory. By November of 2016, Trump pulled off the shocking win over Hillary Clinton to become the new commander in chief. Since then, Trump's been outspoken in his war of words with the press, making sure to label any report he doesn't agree with as "fake news." During an interview with Michael Schmidt of the New York Times on December 28, Trump explained exactly why he thinks he will win when he runs for re-election in 2020.

While speaking to the New York Times on Thursday from his private golf resort in south Florida, Donald Trump opened up about his political future, telling the paper that he is sure he will be re-elected because the media can't afford for him to lose.

"Newspapers, television, all forms of media will tank if I’m not there," Trump said, before adding, "Without me, their ratings are going down the tubes."

Not stopping there, Donald Trump said that the press "basically has to let me win." The billionare real estate mogul went on to predict another outcome, saying that just months before the next election the press will come to him and say "Please, please, don’t lose Donald Trump."

Trump on the NYT

Donald Trump even took time to insult the New York Times who was doing the interview with him.

"Without me, The New York Times will indeed be, not the failing New York Times, but the failed New York Times," Trump said.

Trump on Mueller

During the interview, Michael Schmidt covered a lot of ground, including the ongoing Russian investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller. When pressed on the issue, Trump replied, "It doesn't bother because I hope that he's going to be fair." "I have no expectations and I can only tell you there is absolutely not collusion," Trump added.

The president then elaborated further on the investigation, saying it made the United States "look very bad."

Moving forward

While Donald Trump thinks highly of himself, his poll numbers are not reflective of his own thought process. According to the most recent approval numbers, Trump's favorability with the American people is down below 35 percent, the lowest of any president after their first year in office.
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